When my husband suggested we go to Europe with our children, I thought he was out of his mind. As we looked more into European travel, it really wasn’t that crazy of an idea after all. In fact, it was one of our best family trips.
We created a very ambitious itinerary and I’m happy to say we did it all! The cruise encompassed days 4-11. Click on the links for detailed posts & pics. (more…)
Another weekend arrived and we wanted to take the dogs on a hike. We’ve done a lot in North Georgia and decided to try South Carolina instead. Since we’d gone to Lake Keowee for the Solar Eclipse, we decided to explore the surrounding area. Our travels lead us to Yellow Branch Falls in the Sumter National Forest.
Since we were also trying to get some practice driving for our teenagers, we drove up to Clayton and then on a windy road to Mountain Rest. There, we stopped at a local restaurant called the Rooster’s Call for burgers. Since we had the dogs with us, one of us stayed in the car with the dogs (and AC running) while the others ordered. I had the pimento cheese burger which was hearty.
Just about five miles down the road, we parked at Yellow Branch Falls. The trail is about 1.5 miles to the falls. As we climbed up and down, dodging tree roots along the rugged path, we passed friendly hikers and other dogs. After 1.5 miles, we came to the falls.
There were several things I particularly liked about these falls. First, you could walk right up to the rocks. There was no dedicated platform where people were squished together. We had fun climbing the rocks and one person was napping on one of the ledges. (more…)
Do you remember the Trail of Tears?
Sadly, the only thing I could tell you was it had to do with Native American Indians being forced to move out West. It seems my history classes focused more on the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War than anything else. (more…)
Since it was Labor Day weekend, we were itching to get out of the city and do something different. We took a friend’s advice and went to see the Rock Garden in Calhoun.
When I think of rock gardens, I think of front-yard landscaping in front of Arizona houses – brown and ugly. This is totally different. It’s more like whimsical castles and bridges made from rocks. And it’s totally free!
Dewitt Boyd, aka “Old Dog” started the gardens, located behind the 7th Day Adventist Church, in 2007. He and other volunteers have spent years working on the different formations. The first one we came to was dedicated to one of the ministers of the church and had names of people in the rocks that contributed. As part of the building, there was a large rock wall that made a secluded outdoor living space to sit and reflect. (more…)
